Professor Dawn Tafari’s purpose-driven life leads to 2025 UNC Excellence in Teaching Award

Dr. Dawn Hicks Tafari, an associate professor of education at Winston-Salem State University, approaches life with purpose and passion. She believes that her intentional dedication to teaching has played a key role in her selection as recipient of the 2025 University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Tafari is one of 17 distinguished faculty members to receive this award, representing all 16 of North Carolina’s public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Awardees were nominated by special committees at their respective institutions and selected by the Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs.

Tafari will receive a commemorative bronze medallion and a $12,500 cash prize. The award will be officially presented at the WSSU commencement ceremony in May.

Receiving the UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award is incredibly humbling. I am excited to be chosen and so, so grateful. I come from a long line of empowered people – many of whom were educators and community organizers – so this moment feels full circle, like I’m truly walking in the legacy of my people,” Tafari said.

“Providing safe, impactful learning experiences for those humans who are often overlooked, marginalized and underserved is my life’s work. Therefore, it feels awesome to be recognized for what I love to do and for what I work hard at doing well,” she continued.

WSSU Chancellor Bonita Brown said Tafari’s recognition is a testament to her passion for education and her commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders.

“This is not just an award, it’s a celebration of the impact she makes every day at WSSU,” Brown said. “She carries the legacy of educators and changemakers before her, and with every lesson, every word of encouragement and every moment of mentorship, she is shaping the future. We couldn’t be prouder to have Dr. Tafari as a part of the Ram family, and we celebrate this incredible honor alongside her.”

Purpose-driven life

The following is a Q-and-A with WSSU’s 2025 master teacher, Dr. Dawn Hicks Tafari:

Q: Why did you get into teaching and what drives you to continue?

A: The Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa, serve as a set of guidelines for how I choose to live, walk, and be on a daily basis. I find all seven of the principles relevant; however, the fifth principle of Kwanzaa, Nia (Purpose), has a special meaning to me and guides my academic walk. This is a walk centered in social justice, a concern for people who are oppressed and systematically marginalized because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, class, ability, and other identity markers. Thus, I have dedicated my life to providing full-bodied educational experiences that help people better understand how to love, appreciate, and cultivate humans in celebration of our unique differences.

 Q: How did your career begin?

A: My career as an educator began in Brooklyn, New York. In the fall of 1998, a girl who was raised in Edenwald Projects in the Bronx, became a sixth-grade teacher in Brownsville, Brooklyn. During those two years at P.S/I.S. 41, I observed master teachers at work, received empowering mentoring from an awesome assistant principal, and facilitated the learning journeys of bright-eyed 10- and 11-year-old children. From 1998-2004, I served as a public school educator in three different cities: Brooklyn, New York; Baltimore, Maryland; and High Point, North Carolina. Between the years of 2004-2013, I served college-level students: first, in the community college sector in Baltimore and then in Guilford and Davidson counties. I truly enjoyed teaching at the community college. I loved working with students from such a wide range of socio-economic, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds.

However, when I was presented with the opportunity to join the Winston-Salem State University “Ramily” after earning my doctorate in 2013, I eagerly accepted because I recognized the opportunity to take my work with students from a variety of socio-economic, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds to the next level. And I love WSSU because it is an institution that shares my unapologetic commitment to social justice.

Q: What are some highlights of your career at WSSU?

A:  The moments of my career at WSSU that I hold most dear are those in which I was blessed to be in service to students and alumni. I have served as the advisor to the Student North Carolina Association of Educators (SNCAE) WSSU Chapter since 2022. Prior to that, I worked with Dr. Tangela Towns as a co-advisor for Women Involved in Leadership Development (W.I.L.D.). It has also been really special to serve as the chair for the education department’s homecoming luncheon since 2016, which was renamed the Dr. Alex Johnson Education Scholarship Luncheon in 2017. 

Over the years, it has been wonderful to be seen and acknowledged for my work with students and in the department via the following awards: Winston-Salem State University Foundation, Inc.’s 2024 Simon G. Atkins Champion of Education Award; Winston-Salem State University’s 2022 Wells Fargo Excellence in Teaching Award; and the Winston-Salem State University and Wake Forest University 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Building the Dream Award.

I count myself especially blessed to have been able to share space and time with amazing scholar activists like Dr. Ed Bell (retired), Dr. Beth Day-Hairston (retired), Dr. Fran Bates Oates (retired), Dr. Lynn Zubov (retired), and Dr. Kim D. Pemberton (current chair), who have mentored and supported me as a scholar and as a human. I stand on their shoulders, and I have been able to serve the department as a program coordinator of two different programs and chair of several committees because of their compassion and leadership. 

 Q: What are your goals going forward?

A: I take professional development opportunities seriously because these are spaces in which I cultivate and improve my craft, as well as get to interact with and learn from other scholars from around the country who are doing great work. Therefore, I plan to continue developing professionally to ensure I keep up with the changing dynamics of the education system so that I can consistently make my teaching more effective and impactful and my classroom more safe and empowering. My grandmother used to say, “It doesn’t matter if you’re a garbage man, as long as you do the job with class.” My true goal is to make my grandmother and all of my ancestors proud.

“Teaching is my purpose, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to do what I love every day and get paid for it,” Tafari said.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Tafari.